Indicted Oklahoma City officer faces new conspiracy count

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma City police officer charged with concealing a federal crime and lying to investigators looking into an interstate theft ring now faces an additional charge of conspiracy.

An indictment filed Tuesday says a grand jury added the conspiracy count against 25-year-old Weston Slater. Slater is one of six people charged with stealing various vehicles in Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska and bringing them to Oklahoma to sell.

Slater has pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges and is on unpaid leave from the department. A message left with his attorney Thursday wasn't immediately returned.

The indictment alleges Slater used a police computer to determine whether a pickup truck had been stolen in Texas, warned a co-defendant of the law enforcement investigation and lied to the FBI during the investigation.

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Department of Justice: Wednesday, September 20th, 2017:

Oklahoma City Police Officer Charged with Concealing a Federal Crime and Making a False Statement to Federal Investigators

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Today a federal grand jury charged WESTON SLATER, 25, of Yukon, with concealing a federal crime and making a false statement to federal investigators, announced Mark A. Yancey, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

According to the two-count indictment, Slater was an officer with the Oklahoma City Police Department ("OCPD") in early 2016, when the FBI, OCPD, and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry Investigative Service ("ODAFF") were investigating the federal crime of conspiring to receive, possess, or conceal stolen goods that had crossed state boundaries. That conspiracy charge is included in a six-defendant second superseding indictment filed on May 18, 2017, and a three-defendant third superseding indictment filed on June 20, 2017, both in case number CR-17-11-R.

Count 1 of today's indictment alleges Slater committed the federal crime of "misprision of felony" beginning on February 4, 2016, when he used an OCPD computer at the request of one of the conspirators to determine that a certain vehicle had been stolen in Texas. This count further alleges that Slater made a false statement to the dispatcher about his reason for running the search on the vehicle. According to the indictment, Slater failed to bring the federal crime to the attention of relevant law enforcement authorities.

Count 2 alleges Slater knowingly and willfully made a materially false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the FBI on February 28, 2017. In particular, it charges he told the FBI he had not accessed OCPD's "Varuna" database to search for information on certain law enforcement officers on October 1, 2016, when he actually knew that he had searched for that information for an improper purpose.

If convicted, Slater could be imprisoned for a maximum of three years on Count 1, to be followed by one year of supervised release. He could receive a maximum of five years on Count 2, in addition to three years of supervised release. He could also be fined up to $250,000 on each count.

The public is reminded these charges are merely accusations and that Slater is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Reference is made to court filings for further information.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Major Theft Task Force, OCPD, and ODAFF. The task force consists of the FBI, ODAFF, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Garvin County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Kumiega and Ashley L. Altshuler are prosecuting the case.

A class action lawsuit is filed against Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer and three state agencies. The federal lawsuit filed Friday, claims foster children in Kansas are shuffled between homes and facilities so much that they can be essentially rendered homeless while in state custody.

A class action lawsuit is filed against Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer and three state agencies. The federal lawsuit filed Friday, claims foster children in Kansas are shuffled between homes and facilities so much that they can be essentially rendered homeless while in state custody.